Part 4: Costs of Owning Solar Panels; What You Should Expect

What's New with Renewable Energy? Part 4

One great aspect of solar panels is that they don't require much maintenance. A lack of moving parts can be credited for the generally low maintenance costs along with well made materials. Lets talk about some costs that a solar panel owner may run into.  On the lower end of the scale there are items such as wiring, nuts, bolts, frames etc. that may need replacement or repair over the panel’s lifetime. Items that may need to be replaced before the end of the panel’s lifetime that is more on the expensive side are the inverters. The two types of inverters are  central inverters and micro inverters. Central inverters are usually located in a central area where the panels, which are wired in a series, are connected and the power is converted from DC to AC. They usually come with a 10 year warranty.  Micro inverters are located on the back of  each solar panel where the conversion takes place. If one panel is not producing power, lets say because of an obstruction, the rest of the panels can still function independently where as with a central inverter if one panel is not working, the rest will most likely be effected as well due to their series setup. The micro inverters usually have  a 15 year warranty. The downside to the micro type is they are more expensive and there is a chance multiple inverters may need maintenance or replacement where as central inverters would only have one. The price of replacing an inverter can range from approximately $1200-$2000. Other than the parts mentioned there is little to no possible cost, making solar panels an even more appealing investment.

Maintaining Your Solar Investment (Part 3)

Can a Homeowner Maintain a Solar System?

There's one question that every homeowner looking to make a long term investment in solar power will be asking. Can I maintain what I'm buying? To people who are not familiar with solar systems the technical jargon and futuristic appearance may be slightly intimidating. But in reality you, as homeowner, will have little to worry about once everything is installed. After finding a qualified installer the next step is maintaining your investment. What's great about solar systems is that they are built to last. They are made to withstand harsh conditions and have no moving parts. So your only task is to allow the panels to keep producing electricity. In order to do that you need to keep them clean and free from any obstructions that can block the all important sun. In most cases you will only need to rinse down the panels a few times a year. If you live in an area that doesn't recieve much rain this may need to be done more frequently. In our February 4th article "Cleaning your Solar Panels" we give you the list of tools and strategies you may need to keep your panels performing at their best.

A service contract can usually be purchased along with your solar panel purchase although it may not be necessary depending on your ability to DIY. Most solar panels systems come with a warranty from 5-10yrs, so within that time span any issues that may arise with be fixed. However basic up keep is very minmum and can easily be done by the homeowner. If an issue does come about after the warranty, there are companies that can be hired to come and fix it. Other than cleaning, inspections should be done by the owner to look for hanging wires, animal nests or anything else out of the ordinary. (PurePoint Energy offers maintenance as well as installation for both ground mounted and roof mounted systems.)

(picture from- http://www.brockbuildersinc.com/422/residential-solar-panels-save-money-and-energy/)

Ground Mount Vs. Roof Mount

  So you decided to invest in solar panels for your home, and why wouldn't you its a great way to save money and do your part to help the environment simultaneously. You have a good grasp of the technology used and how it all works but now its time to decide where your going to put them. When most people think of solar panels they automatically picture them on roofs. But what they don't realize is that there are also ground mounted systems, each having their own pros and cons.

  

  Their are a few things that need to be looked at in if a roof mounted system is what you have in mind. The first and probably most important aspect that needs to be taken into consideration is, whether your roof will allow your panels to have the optimal southern sun exposure while also not being obstructed by shade form other nearby objects like buildings or trees.  Also does your roof provide enough space  for the solar panels. A 1000 watt system may need 100 – 200 square feet of area, depending on the type of PV module. If you did the measurements and your thinking your roof has the square footage needed, keep in mind the design of your roof as well as any  extras it may have (chimney, sky lights etc.) that can potentially affect the amount of usable space and cost of your system. Now if everything checks out and your roof is suitable for a roof mounted PV system then you can now move on to the next step, but if you find that it isn't or the cost is too high given the above conditions (or lack there of) a ground mounted system may be your future. 

(image:http://kissmyface.typepad.com/photos/green_power/sun-powering-our-solar-panels.html)

  Ground mounted systems make panel orientation much easier because they can be built to face any direction to maximize sun exposure. Cooler temperatures are ideal for solar panel use. If you have the space for a ground mounted setup air flow is much greater under the panels in comparison to their roof counter parts so there is a slight performance increase, although not significant. It does take more materials to build a ground system because it needs a place to be mounted and the wiring needs to be trenched to connect the panel(s) to the house. 

Lets review the pros cons:

Roof-Mounted

Pros :

• Depending on the pitch and orientation of your roof, it may be possible to install the solar panels out of view.
• Beyond standard equipment, rooftop solar energy systems typically don’t require a lot of additional racking and other mounting hardware that's needed for ground-mounted systems.
• Solar roofs make productive use of space that would otherwise go unused, as noted above.
• Related to the previous point, solar roofs don’t eat up land that could otherwise be productively put to use. This consideration is particularly important when it comes to larger commercial and utility-scale projects, which can take up multiple football fields’ worth of space. 

Cons:

• Shade, from trees or nearby buildings, can be a real problem.
• Sometimes a roof is too small to accommodate enough solar panels to suit the family’s energy needs.
• Roofs with lots of contours or other funky shapes can see increase costs associated with solar energy system design and installation. In the worst case, oddly shaped roofs don’t have enough uninterrupted area to accommodate the panels.
• It can be a bit more expensive to install solar panels on some kinds of roofs (like clay tile and wood shake shingle roofs) than it is on others (asphalt shingle).
• It can be kind of a pain to clean/rinse off the panels. Usually a rain shower does the trick. But if you live in a low-rainfall area that gets a lot of dust, this may be a consideration.

Ground-Mounted 

Pros :

• It’s relatively easy to optimize the placement of the solar panels in order to maximize their electricity output. Unlike a roof -- the pitch and orientation of which is already set -- a ground-mounted array can be built so that it captures the most sunlight possible throughout the year.
• While unusual for residential projects, it’s possible to install a tracking system with a ground-mounted system. (Note, too, that tracking systems increase the cost of solar installation.) 
• Solar panels perform best in cooler temperatures. More air tends to circulate behind the solar panels of a ground-mounted array than those of a rooftop system. Because ground-mounted panels manage to stay cooler, they often outperform their solar roof counterpart. (The difference in performance, however, is admittedly not that noticeable.)

Cons:

• Ground-mounted solar systems typically require additional racking and mounting equipment, which can increase the cost of solar installation.
• There may not be enough usable room on your property to accommodate a ground-mounted solar energy system.
• It may not be possible to find an inconspicuous area to install the solar panels on your property, which may prompt aesthetic objections by you (or your family members). Usually, however, a solar installer can work with you to design an array that addresses these concerns. 
• Ground-mounted solar energy systems may come with added costs for trenching. “Trenching” means digging a trench to bury the electrical wiring that runs from the solar panels to your home. If you live in an area with really rocky soil, or there would be a long distance between the solar panels and your home, the added costs for trenching and burying conduit could be substantial. 

(getsolar.com)

Maintaining Your Solar Investment

Part 1 Cleaning Your Solar Panels: One obvious yet often overlooked cause of a decline in the efficiency of your solar panel is the presence of dirt. Depending on your location, pollen, sand and other debris could be the culprit. When dirt accumulates on the solar panels it decreases the amount of solar radiation available for use, so in order to get the most out of your solar panels, frequent inspection and cleaning should be done. Tilted panels can be cleaned less often dueto rain runoff, a benefit flat panels do not have. Photo courtesy of naturalturn at Flickr.com Tools You’ll Need: Ladder, Warm Water, Soft Rags, Dish Washing Soap or Chemical Free Cleaners. Warm water can initially be used to remove the majority of the dirt. If there are still spots on the panel a combination of water and dish soap or natural cleaners can be used along with a soft rag to gently wipe away the remaining debris. Other options include auto cleaning systems which make it easier to keep panels clean in harder to reach areas. One obvious yet often overlooked cause of a decline in the efficiency of your solar panel is the presence of dirt. Depending on your location, pollen, sand and other debris could be the culprit. When dirt accumulates on the solar panels it decreases the amount of solar radiation available for use, so in order to get the most out of your solar panels, frequent inspection and cleaning should be done. Tilted panels can be cleaned less often due to rain runoff, a benefit flat panels do not have.   Google Proves the Benefits of Cleaning Your Solar PanelsGoogle’s headquarters located in Mountain View, CA has the largest corporate installation of solar panels in the United States with a 1.6 megawatt system. They decided to do an experiment to find out how much dirt actually affected their solar panel’s efficiency. The study began by comparing the two different sets of solar panels in Google campus - the flat ones in carports and the tilted ones on roofs. Understandably, dirt accumulates on top of the flat panels, while rain washes away most dirt atop the tilted ones, leaving some accumulation in the corners. A full 15 months after installation of the panels, the Google crew cleaned them up as part of this study. For the flat panels, the result was astounding -energy output doubled overnight. For the tilted panels though, the difference in output is "relatively" small. After this first experiment, the Google crew waited another eight months and cleaned the panels again, with the flat panels exhibiting in a 36 percent improvement in efficiency. Taking these results into account, the Google crew decided to clean the flat panels regularly, leaving the tilted ones out because the difference in output is negligible.   Rains Cleaning Affects: Tilted solar panels -Visual inspection indicates that rain does clean them quite well. -However, dirt does accumulate in the bottom most corner of the solar panels Non-tilted solar panels -Rain does not clean dirt off horizontal, non-tilted solar panels. -Rain, mixed in with dirt that had settled on the solar panels, does not drain well due to the solar panel’s frame structure. -3 millimeter depth between the solar module metal frame and the glass surface where dirty water can accumulate B47 Parking and B45 Parking PV 0utput doubled after B45 Parking & B47 Parking solar panels were cleaned for the first time in 15 months represented by their peaks on between 8/11/2008 to 9/11/2008 Output increased by 36% after these solar panels were cleaned again 8 months later represented by their spikes in after 5/11/2009. Next Week in Part Two Of the Series We Will Look at Ground Mount Vs. Roof Mount What's the Best Choice for Your Project?